How to share

If you want to send a file or folder to someone so that they can view, edit, or comment on it, you can share it with them directly in Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, or Slides, or through a link or email attachment.

Anyone you share the file or folder with will see changes made as they happen so that everyone can be on the same page and you can get feedback quickly.

Click Share for files or the share icon for folders in the top-right corner of the screen .

Click Get shareable link in the top-right corner of the sharing box. A link to the file will be copied to your clipboard.

Paste the link into an email or chat to share it.

To stop allowing people to access the file using the link, open the sharing box > click the dropdown menu below "Link sharing on" > choose OFF > click Done.

By default, the link you share will be view only for others. To allow people with the link to comment on or edit the file, click the dropdown menu under "Link sharing on" and change the setting from "People with the link can view" to "People with the link can comment (or can edit)".

To allow anyone to be able to open the file or folder using the link, make sure to change your sharing settings to “Anyone with the link” or “Public on the web”. Click Change… when you’re in the sharing box to change this setting.

A window will appear letting you know that the Office file is saving as a new Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides file. When the file is done saving, the new version will open automatically.

Once your new file is open, you can follow the steps above (in “Share a file or folder”) to share your file and begin working with others. Note that updates made to the new file will not carry over to the original Office file, which will remain untouched in Google Drive.